Formula-feeding myths busted

It’s true that breastfeeding has health advantages over formula feeding, especially when it comes to the immune system in the first few months after a baby is born. Breast milk transfers antibodies from parent to child, and these antibodies protect the baby from immediate threats like respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, as well as long-ranging issues like chronic illnesses and asthma.

On the other hand, breast milk is only one factor that can contribute to these health concerns, and many babies who are breastfed still develop health problems, while many who are formula-fed are perfectly healthy. General trends can give some ideas about what might happen, all other things being equal, but your baby has a very specific asset on their side – you.

You’re looking out for their health, and breastfeeding or not is only one of a thousand factors that contributes to Baby’s overall health and well-being.

While there are good reasons why organizations like the World Health Organization advocate for extended breastfeeding in a more general sense, when it comes to children who are being raised with regular access to safe, clean water and enough nutrients and minerals, it’s less clear how much of a dramatic difference breastfeeding makes in comparison to formula feeding.

Breastfeeding is definitely a great way for new moms who want to breastfeed to start to bond with their newborns. However, it’s far from the only way to bond with a baby. Feeding is always a great time to bond with your baby, whether you’re feeding them with a bottle or at the breast.

Feeding time gives you the chance to hold your baby close and make eye-contact. Even newborns’ eyes can focus in on their parents’ faces when they’re being held in position to feed, probably as an evolutionary advantage for greater parent-child bonding, so don’t be afraid to look deep into Baby‘s eyes – it’s exactly what evolution wants you to do! Skin-to-skin contact is another way to get started bonding. 

The truth is that breastfeeding and formula feeding both have their own challenges. Formula feeding may be easier in some senses, especially making it easier to share feeding duties with a partner, but breastfeeding can be easier in the sense that, when the baby is hungry, there’s no need to prepare a bottle, or heat the bottle, or to bring enough formula for a day out, because when they are hungry, their mom will be able to nurse them right away.

Babies eat a lot, and keeping them fed takes a lot of time and effort, no matter which way they’re fed, which is why each family needs to look at its needs and desires and figure out the way to feed that’s best for them in particular.